- We've Won A BBC Radio 4 Appeal
- Women’s Groups Work – Maternal Deaths Reduced by 55%
- The Big Give Charities Raffle: Save Lives
- London Marathon 2013: Runners Saving Lives
- Why is Paul running 26.2 Miles to Save Lives of Mothers and Babies?
- Community Givers Help Manage Acute Malnutrition in Mumbai
- What does Motherhood Mean to Us?
- I'm running the marathon to save lives
- Reducing newborn deaths in Bangladesh
- Why I'm running the marathon for Women and Children First
- Alaba Adebayo walks for mothers and children in poor communities
- All hail to Busworks team who put Women and Children First
Blog
We've Won A BBC Radio 4 Appeal
I am delighted that Women and Children First has been chosen to broadcast a BBC Radio 4 Appeal - a weekly programme highlighting the work of selected charities and appealing for donations to support its activities.
This is a fantastic endorsement of the work carried out by Women and Children First. We are proud and excited. It's a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about how our work with women’s groups in Africa and Asia equips women in poor communities with the knowledge they need to stay healthy and give birth safely. The statistics about maternal health in the poorest parts of the world are disgraceful – 98% of maternal and newborn deaths occur there – but women’s groups can halve the numbers of deaths.
Yesterday we went to Broadcasting House for a briefing from Kate Howells, the Radio 4 Appeal Producer and Sally Flatman, the Appeals Adviser. They instilled great enthusiasm for the Appeal among everyone present and demonstrated incredible personal commitment. It was a pleasure to meet people so dedicated to the work they do and we left feeling motivated and excited about the opportunity we have ahead of us.
Keep your eye on this blog for the latest news about our Appeal. Next step is to decide on whose voice you will hear on December 8th. Put the date in your diary and be near that radio!
Ros Davies, Chief Executive
Women’s Groups Work – Maternal Deaths Reduced by 55%
Ruth Duebbert, Women and Children First’s Head of Policy and Advocacy, has been hobnobbing with the great and the good in the Houses of Parliament. Here she tells us why.
I’ve just been to an event hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health with Women and Children First and UCL’s Institute for Global Health to mark the publication of a Lancet report illustrating that women’s groups can dramatically reduce maternal and newborn deaths in the poorest communities.
Having analysed seven trials conducted in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Malawi we’re finding that women’s groups can dramatically reduce maternal and newborn deaths in the poorest communities. The findings from the seven studies showed that maternal deaths fell by as much as 55% for maternal deaths and 33% for newborn deaths when more than a third of pregnant women participated in the groups.
In launching these latest findings we were thrilled to be joined by representatives from the UK government, parliamentarians, NGOs, academics and donor agencies.
Baroness Jenny Tonge, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health (pictured above), opened the event reminding participants that around 270,000 women worldwide die every year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth and nearly three million infants do not survive the first month of life. In sub Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, more than 70% of all births for the poorest women happen at home. Community interventions are needed to increase demand for health services and protective practices for mothers and newborns at home.
London Marathon 2013: Runners Saving Lives
Sunday 21 April 2013 - the day of the Virgin London Marathon. 35,000 runners crossed the start line. Three of them have changed the lives of women and their newborns in Africa and Asia. Between them so far, they have raised just over £10,000 to give knowledge and power to those women who are most likely to suffer a crisis in childbirth.
Check out these images and tell us that running a marathon isn't just the best day of your whole life!! Then This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you'd like to be part of Team Women and Children First for Marathon 2014..
That's Peter on the far left, Sam in the middle
And Sam's mum in the 'So Proud Of Sam 21.4.13' t shirt.
Paul and Sam before |
Sam and Paul 26 Miles later - no difference really!! |
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Sam and his mum - we're all so proud of Sam |
Here is Peter, having just completed his second Marathon in 2 weeks |
Thank you all of you who sponsored Peter, Sam and Paul. Your support is changing lives. And thank you again (and again) to our wonderful running team. Peter, Sam, Paul - you guys are amazing.
The Big Give Charities Raffle: Save Lives
Buy a raffle ticket from the Women and Children First page on theBigGive
96p of your ticket cost comes direct to Women and Children First and you could win one of the fabulous prizes below! If you buy 5 tickets, you could pay for a woman to attend a woman's group for a whole year. Follow the link on the image, then press the blue 'buy raffle ticket' arrow.
Why is Paul running 26.2 Miles to Save Lives of Mothers and Babies?
On Sunday 21 April 2013 a team of 5 runners will complete the Virgin London Marathon, raising funds to save lives and reduce infant and maternal mortality. Here are the words of Paul, the third of our runners to write something for our blog. Keep coming back to the blog to hear from our other runners. And, please, support Paul by visiting his fundraising page. These are his words:
On the 7th March 2007 my wife Trudy went into labour with our second child. All was going well for a while but then things changed very quickly and the midwife decided Trudy needed to be rushed down for an urgent epidural as everything wasn't happening as it should be.
Suddenly there were consultants and midwives everywhere pushing Trudy along on her bed to the other side of the ward. Not having been told what the complications were you can imagine my stress levels over the worry for Trudy and our unborn baby.
As soon as Trudy was re-positioned in the surgical room, the midwife checked the baby one more time and cancelled the epidural as baby had decided not to wait any longer and was born 3 minutes later.
Our beautiful daughter Erin was born weighing a healthy 8lbs.
Thankfully everything turned out well but for a short period of time the fear of not knowing and what if took over.
I am blessed to have witnessed my beautiful wife give birth to both of our beautiful and healthy children, now aged 9 and 7 years. We had the support of regular medical care for both the births.
Unfortunately this is not always the case for others, particularly those living in the poorest parts of the world where Women and Children First do their work.
This is why I have decided to run the Virgin London Marathon 2013. If my wife can put herself through two child births, then 26.2 miles is not too much to ask in return to support the great charity Women and Children First.
Please help me across the line by visiting my fundraising page - I appreciate every penny of sponsorship I am receiving and every penny makes a difference. Thank you.
More Articles...
- Community Givers Help Manage Acute Malnutrition in Mumbai
- What does Motherhood Mean to Us?
- I'm running the marathon to save lives
- Reducing newborn deaths in Bangladesh
- Why I'm running the marathon for Women and Children First
- Alaba Adebayo walks for mothers and children in poor communities
- All hail to Busworks team who put Women and Children First
- Planning for Family Planning - Walking the Talk of the London Summit
- Toddlers put Women and Children First
- Malawi Update and a Farewell for Now.
Saving Lives
Over a quarter of a million women and three million newborn babies die each year in pregnancy and childbirth or soon afterwards, the majority of them in Africa and South Asia. For every woman who dies at least twenty more suffer complications which leave them with lifelong disability and pain.
Our unique programmes are saving the lives of mothers and babies every day. We need you to help us to equip women with their most vital survival tool: knowledge.







